


Blood Moon

by SolarSollux



Category: Shall We Date?: Blood in Roses+
Genre: Alfred and Rupert are assholes, Drama, F/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-21
Updated: 2019-08-03
Packaged: 2019-10-13 16:35:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17491445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SolarSollux/pseuds/SolarSollux
Summary: Raymond never thought he'd be mistaken for a spirit of the woods, nor that a young girl he met 500 years ago to show up again in his hotel. Yet, there's something about her that he can't quite put his finger on - be it her strange visions that leave her catatonic or the hint of a smile she gives him whenever he enters the room. Either way, the situation spells trouble.And trouble is that last thing Raymond wants to deal with.





	1. Chance Encounters

**Author's Note:**

> Apologies beforehand for the crazy update schedule this will have! I've got like eighty projects I'm working on, but hopefully posting this will encourage me to keep from procrastinating anymore than I already am!

The smell of blood set off an ache at the back of Raymond’s throat, an itch he knew better than to scratch. Willpower was a skill he had honed since becoming manager - it took quite a lot to deal with the near endless stream of guests the Hotel drew. He swallowed, taking in a deep breath, and instead tried to focus on the rhythmic sound of the shovel in the dirt.

He was just about finished and had, thankfully, hardly broken a sweat. It would be a travesty for Raymond to ruin one of his few good white shirts. Perhaps there  _ were _ a few advantages to being a made-vampire. He hadn’t been gifted with the truly wondrous abilities of a born-vampire like Harold or the boys, but the added strength and speed certainly came in handy from time to time... like in digging graves, it seemed. 

Raymond stabbed his shovel into the soft ground and reached for the first of the two body bags. They weren't as heavy as the last set Alfred and Rupert had left behind, thankfully, but it didn’t make the job anymore pleasant. The boys were young, Raymond had to remind himself. They hadn’t yet learned to control themselves or their urges. It was something only time, and years of managing a hotel, could teach.

The bodies dropped to the bottom of the makeshift grave with a  _ fwump _ and then Raymond began the arduous task of filling the hole back in again. He had, hopefully, buried them deep enough that the smell of blood would be masked from any blood-sucking vermin that might find themselves in the area. It was bad enough that they would tear up his landscaping in their search for their next meal, but Raymond truly did not want to end up picking two week old intestines out of his lilac bushes again.

Raymond smoothed the dirt out over the ground, making sure it looked as natural as it had when he first came out, and then turned to leave.

A sharp rustle behind him, however, forced him to stop. Raymond faced the forest, whose treeline rested only a few feet in front of him, and waited. The kavjaku were usually more fearful of vampires than they were hungry for flesh, so Raymond’s mere presence was enough to send them skittering back into the brush, tails between their legs. This time, however, the rustling only grew in intensity. Whatever this was, it was bigger and far less fearful of vampires. Raymond gripped the shovel tighter.

Raymond had been just about to shout a warning when a figure burst through the treeline. It raced forward, slamming directly into Raymond’s legs. Had he not seen the dress and mop of dark hair, he might have accidently swung at her.

The girl stumbled back, landing hard on the ground. She was absolutely filthy, mud caking nearly every inch of her. Her dress was torn and tattered. She only looked to be 6 or 7 - around the same age that Alfred was.

Raymond stared down at her, partly in surprise and partly in uncertainty.

The girl scrambled to her feet and took a number of steps back. She watched Raymond with fearful interest. Her eyes danced down to the shovel, then back up to his eyes.

“You’re a ways from home,” Raymond said finally. He relaxed his grip on the shovel. He crouched down, so his face was level with the girl’s. “What’s your name?”

The girl wrapped her arms around herself. They were lined with cuts from the low branches. Not deep enough to cause anything more than an annoying rash, but still enough that Raymond could smell the blood. It was likely what drew the creatures to her in the first place. When she finally decided to speak, it was with a voice that was nearly inaudible. “Penelope.”

“Penelope,” Raymond echoed. “Where’s your home, Penelope?”

Penelope pointed behind herself, out towards the forest. Her small hand was shaking.

_ Great, _ Raymond thought,  _ as if that helps any. _ There were any number of villages in the woods, each far enough apart that it would be inefficient and, more importantly, inconvenient to visit them all.  He reached a hand out to her. “What do you say you show me?”

Penelope looked to his hand and was quite clearly reluctant to take it. It wasn’t as if Raymond could blame her. 

“Did those monsters chase you here?”

Penelope nodded.

“Well, those monsters are afraid of me. They won’t hurt you while I’m around.”

“Why?”

“Because they don’t like me.”

Penelope paused. “Why?”

Raymond’s mouth pulled up into a small, but fleeting, smile. “Because I’m scarier than they are.”

Still unsure, Penelope brought a piece of hair to her mouth and started chewing on it. She looked between the woods and Raymond’s hand three or four times before she finally reached out and wrapped her fingers around Raymond’s. 

Raymond had only just realized that telling a small girl that he was ‘scarier’ than the monsters she’d been running from might have been a ridiculous idea. But having her grab his hand, he smiled and rose to his feet, letting Penelope slowly pull him towards the woods. 

When they set off, it was just past three in the morning. Raymond suddenly worried he might not be back in time to avoid the rising sun if he was to be wandering about the forest all night. But, as they continued, he found he  was impressed with how well the girl knew her way through the trees. There weren’t any paths out towards the Hotel and there were sections of the forest where the underbrush was incredibly thick. Anyone could find themselves easily lost - and Raymond relied on that to keep unwanted visitors from finding the Hotel. Raymond was sure even Rupert, a few years Penelope’s senior, would have had more trouble navigating his way. 

“How do you know your way so well?”

“I gather berries out here.” Penelope pointed to a few of the nearby bushes. “Mom tells me not to wander far but the ones further away are better.”

Raymond nodded. “There are a lot of nasty things out here.”

Penelope shrugged absently, running her hands along the branches of the ferns. “They only come out at night.”

“It looks like night to me.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“What are you doing out this early?”

Penelope shrugged again. “I get nightmares sometimes and I wake up out here.”

Raymond’s brows creased, staring confused at the back of the girl’s head. What child had nightmares at her age, let alone ones that drew her out into the woods? There was a fleeting worry that perhaps one of the vampires at the Hotel had grabbed ahold of her, but Raymond quickly pushed that thought from his mind. He didn’t like the idea of someone targeting a child, nor the idea that they were staying at  _ his _ Hotel. “That sounds awful.”

“It’s not too bad. My Ma sometimes makes me drinks that help me sleep.”

_ But they didn’t work this time, it seems. _ Human potions and concoctions had the tendency to be finnacky. Either they worked entirely as intended, or the fell completely flat. Raymond racked his mind for a recipe that would improve sleep quality, but he was drawing a blank. He would have to ask Humphrey when he returned.  “I hope it tastes good.”

“It tastes like milk and honey.”

Even though it was still quite dark, Raymond was pleased to find that their walk continued without many interruptions by curious, or hungry, creatures. While he was sure he would be able to take care of any that drew too close, with only shovel it would be an awfully annoying task to deal with. It was pleasant to be able to walk through the trees without a fight, save for the tangled ferns that seemed hellbent on wrapping themselves around his ankles. 

Raymond smelled the village before he saw it. It was about an hour from the Hotel, the closest human settlement by far. No wonder Penelope had accidently stumbled onto the grounds. Raymond made a mental note to keep an eye on the place, should any foolhardy hunters, or lost little girls, come too close again.

When Penelope’s eyes fell on the village, she gasped and shouted, letting go of Raymond’s hand and racing forward.

Not wanted to deal with the questions bound to come if he followed Penelope in, Raymond stayed back where he was.

As if sensing this, Penelope stopped and turned, gesturing for him to follow.

Raymond shook his head.

Penelope visibly sighed and wandered back. She looked to Raymond and frowned. “You have to go home, too?”

“I do. Will you get home okay?”

Penelope hummed in affirmation. She was quiet a moment more before she wrapped her arms around Raymond’s legs. “Thank you, forest spirit.”

Raymond wasn’t sure if he should be surprised, flattered, or amused. He chuckled softly and placed a hand on her head. “You’re welcome.”

Penelope drew back and then raced off again for the town. She turned back just once to give Raymond a final wave before disappearing into the underbrush.

The walk back to the Hotel was much faster, now that it wasn’t at the pace of a young girl, but Raymond still found himself wandering into the lobby far later than he should’ve. The walk to and fro. the village had only been a few hours, but it was almost dawn by the time Raymond walked back into the Hotel.  The lobby was dead silent as he wandered inside, a rare occurrence in a place that Raymond would be the first to argue never slept. More surprising, though, was the lobby’s single inhabitant, sat on the back of one of the couches.

“Harold?” Raymond asked. It was rare to see his master out this late, let alone in the lobby where enamored guests might accost him with pointless questions and requests.

“It’s not like you to be out this late.”

Raymond froze mid stride. “Ah, my apologies, I-”

“You don’t have to explain yourself, Raymond. I’m just glad the girl got home safe... she did, didn’t she?”

_ Of course he knew, _ Raymond chided himself. He nodded. “Yes, safe and sound.”

“Good,” Harold replied. He pushed up from his spot on the back of the couch and smiled. “I only noticed you were so late because the boys refused to go to bed without wishing you good night. They’re likely still up, if you want to stop by their room.”

“Of course. Have a good night, sir.” Raymond pulled his overcoat off, dropping it behind the front desk. He watched Harold disappear down the hall before Raymond made his way upstairs. Alfred and Rupert should have been asleep an hour ago, but he could still hear their hushed whispers behind the closed door. He poked his head in, just as Rupert launched a pillow across the room. It was a moment before either of them noticed Raymond there.

“Raymond!” Rupert was the first to notice. He leapt from his bed and ran over to the door, Alfred close behind.

Raymond scooped them both up in his arms, walking fully into the room. “You boys should be asleep.”

Alfred sniffed Raymond’s shoulder and blanched. “Eugh, why do you smell like a human?”

“I was out dealing with both of your ‘friends’,” Raymond replied. He didn’t much want to get into details. He was exhausted, far more than a short walk should’ve made him. “Harold tells me you both refused to go to bed until I came by.”

“We can’t sleep without one of your stories,” Rupert replied. “Harold wouldn’t read to use so we waited for you.”

Raymond clicked his tongue, setting Rupert down in his bed, and then Alfred in his. “It is far past your bedtimes.”

“No story,” Alfred said, “no sleep.”

“Well, what story would you like tonight?”

“The princess one!” Alfred cheered.

Rupert, however, huffed. “Princesses are for girls and babies.”

“No they’re not!”

“Yuh-huh!”

“Nuh-uh!”

Raymond help up a hand to silence the brothers. It was times like these the he forgot all the trouble the boys caused, forgot how frustrating they could be, how dangerous they truly were. It was moments like this that Raymond felt truly lucky to have been given this life to live, even with all its faults. It was days like this that made him hopeful that everything would work out. “How about a monster story?”

Both boy’s faces lit up and they nodded furiously. They each settled in, pulling their blankets up to their chins.

Raymond cleared his throat. “Once upon a time, deep in the forest, there lived a tree spirit...”


	2. Awakened

The stain on the counter was far more stubborn than Raymond had planned for. He pressed the wet rag harder into the wood and scrubbed, but it seemed the dark black smudge did not want to leave it’s place. It was on the far side, so at least Raymond didn’t have to worry about any of his guests seeing it. Unfortunately, that meant  _ he _ had to see it, and it would only serve to annoy him endlessly unless he found a way to remove it.

“Good morning, Raymond.”

Raymond sighed, stepping back from the counter and giving Rupert a small nod. “Good morning. I assume you slept well?”

“Like a baby. Have you seen Alfred around?”

“I have,” Raymond replied. “He went out the front an hour or so ago. Didn’t say why.”

Rupert hummed and tapped his cane once on the counter. “Thank you. And I don’t think just any old cleaner is going to get that stain out.”

Raymond scowled, shooing Rupert forward and out of his lobby. He set the rag down and placed the back of his hand against his head. The summer heat was still lingering around the Hotel, even if the sun had already set. It was fortunate that the Hotel ran on flipped hours, but it still wasn’t enough to keep the place from baking.

From the corner of his eye, Raymond saw Jack appear from the hallway. Their eyes met and Raymond inwardly groaned.

Sure enough, Jack came prancing up, his smile broad on his face. “Mooornin’ Raymond!”

Raymond grunted.  _ This ought to be good. _ “Good morning.”

“Listen, I’ve got a bit of a... let’s call it an issue, I don’t much like the word problem.” Jack leaned onto the counter. “The stove got a bit of an attitude and decided to spit smoke and soot  _ everywhere. _ Daniel got covered, he was pretty pissed. Anyway! You should probably bring that rag.”

“It  _ what?” _ Raymond could feel a headache start to pound at the back of his head. That could have also been from his lack of feeding recently, but Jack’s gleeful state after relaying such obnoxious news was certainly exacerbating it. “Why are you smiling?!”

“Because Daniel will never get that soot out of his hair!” Jack chuckled softly, pushing himself up to stand. “Come on, I’ll lead the way.”

Raymond curled his hands into fists, willing himself not to punch a hole through the center of the wooden counter... or through Jack’s face. He snatched up his rag and the bucket on the floor, trailing after Jack. 

Why did it seem that nothing at this hotel ever got better? Waterlogged ceilings and crumbling basement steps, termite ridden railings and bird infested roofs... it wouldn’t be long before this Hotel was a shell of what it once was when Harold was still around. Raymond had done his best over the past five centuries to keep the place going, but goodness it was  _ exhausting.  _

Rosapast was wilting, it didn't take a genius to put two and two together. But the lack of an ability to fix the problem drove Raymond insane. He was helpless to do anything but patch symptoms, rather than deal with the root cause. And all because of Harold’s foolish vendetta...

When Jack turned into the kitchen, Raymond found he didn’t even need to cross the threshold to take in the extent of the situation. He was going to need far more than just the rag. Stepping fully inside the kitchen and putting the bucket down on the floor, Raymond sighed. “I'd suggest you find somewhere else to spend the next hour, Jack.”

“What? Don't you want any help? I mean, this place is a-”

“Mess, yes, I can see that.” That headache was starting to throb. “I can take care of it far faster on my own.”

“But breakfast is due in-”

“An hour. I'll be done before then and will be sure to let the guests know their food will be a little late this morning.”

Jack was silent a moment. He looked at Raymond, then the door, and then shrugged. “Whatever you say!”

Raymond listened to Jack skitter out the door before he picked up his rag and ran it along the island at the center of the room. The rag was pitch black when Raymond pulled it back and it had barely made a dent in the thick soot covering the island’s surface. And this stuff was covering the walls, the floor, some of the ceiling and, no doubt, been rubbed into the carpet from Jack’s shoes.

With another hearty sigh and a prayer, Raymond set the work.

The heat from the day slowly dissipated as time wore on and Raymond was grateful. Vampire or not, he was sweating bullets underneath his suit coat. When he'd finally cleared off enough of the kitchen, he slipped the coat off and set it aside. 

Knowing how pressed for time he was, Raymond was finished in only a little over an hour. Later than he wanted to be done, granted, but it would have to do. He picked up his bucket and wandered out into the hallway, making a note to himself to find the scrub brush to try and get the soot put from the carpet. He cast a glance towards the lobby, making sure Louis had shown up for his shift manning the front desk, and then set off upstairs. 

Raymond unlocked the supply closet and began digging for the carpet cleaner when he heard a noise off to his right.  _ What now? _

Leaning back and casting a glance down the hallway, Raymond was just fast enough to see Rupert pass by the end of the hall. Alfred was with him, along with someone else Raymond didn't immediately recognize. That didn't sit well with him.

Tossing the things in his hands back in the closet and swiftly locking the door, Raymond trailed after Rupert and Alfred. The boys had certainly grown out of their more rambunctious phases, but that didn't mean they had stopped causing trouble. If anything, that had gotten  _ worse _ over the years.

Raymond rounded the corner. The boys were heading down the side stairs. Attempting to avoid drawing attention to themselves, Raymond was sure.

They both descended all the way down to the basement, and Raymond could hear the protests of whoever they had with them. It was a female voice. Raymond shook his head - why couldn't the boys just be content with the feeders the Hotel provided?

Raymond stopped a few levels up, waiting to hear the basement door slam shut. He needed to think over how he was going to handle this. The last thing he needed was more trouble today.

Reaching up to fix his coat, and realizing he forgot it in the kitchen, Raymond heaved a sigh and made his way into the basement.

A girl’s voice loudly echoed off the walls. “Forget it! You fucking drag me to a dungeon and lock me up and expect me to love you? Buzz off!”

“Then I'd suggest getting comfortable in your cell,” Rupert replied.

“It'd be easier if you just said you loved me,” Alfred added. “We don't want to keep you here.”

The girl scoffed. “You're so full of shit. If you're going to leave me in here just do it already!”

Alfred grumbled. “Just-”

“So be it. Come, Alfred.”

Raymond moved so he was further into the room, catching both of the brother’s eyes as they turned to leave. “Busy morning.”

“And none of your business, Raymond,” Alfred said. His face wore a sneer as he passed by, not even bothering to stop.

Rupert did, however, but he looked just as upset as Alfred. “Is there a reason you're down here?”

“It's my job to keep an eye on the Hotel, and that includes you boys,” Raymond answered. “Is there a reason you're here?”

“You're not stupid, Raymond, I'm sure you heard the girl shouting when you hit the stairway. She's caused some trouble but there's nothing for you to worry about.”

Raymond scoffed. “As if that makes me feel better.”

“Doesn't quite matter how you feel, as long as you don't interfere. Now, if you'll excuse me...”

Raymond watched Rupert go and a sour scowl pulled at his face.  _ As long as you don't interfere... _ It was his job to interfere. Neither Rupert nor his brother had shown that they were anywhere near responsible, let alone capable, enough to take over the Hotel and yet they wanted to act as if they had any authority in its matters.

The girl hadn't spoken since Rupert and Alfred had left her.

Being sure to stay quiet, Raymond drew closer to the cage, seeing the figure of the girl sitting on the cement floor. She was facing away from him, though she still felt oddly familiar. 

Suddenly, the girl turned, her mouth open in a half formed snarl before she froze. Her eyes widened and she seemed to slump. “What?”

Raymond’s eyebrows shot up into his hairline. 

“You're  _ real?” _ The girl asked, pushing herself onto a standing position. “What are you doing here? What is this place? Who are you?”

“Your name is Penelope.”

The girl nodded. “And you're a forest spirit.”

Had Raymond been in the mood, he might have laughed. There was no conceivable way this girl could be the same one from so long ago. It'd been five centuries! Humans didn't live that long - she should be long dead. Yet here she was. “I’m surprised a girl of your age would still believe in such stories.”

Penelope’s face turned upwards in a grimace. “I’m kidnapped by vampires and your scolding me for believing in spirits?”

“Oh, spirits are quite real. You’re sharing the building with at least fifteen,” Raymond replied. He drew closer to the bars. “But forest spirits? Hardly more than an old wives tale.”

“You exist,” Penelope challenged.

Raymond shook his head. “And I am no forest spirit.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Now would you care to, perhaps, let me out of here?”

“I’d first need to know how you ended up here in the first place.”

“You... you saw those two guys drag me in here.”

Raymond clicked his tongue. This strange girl certainly had a mouth on her. If he couldn’t hear her heart thundering in her chest, he might have believed she was as calm as she looked. “I meant at this Hotel. Your village is a ways into the forest. Close, but not close enough for me to believe that you simply showed up here by accident  _ twice _ .”

Penelope seemed to absorb that, her shoulders dropping. She blinked a few times before, suddenly, her eyes started to roll into the back of her head. Her mouth opened and she made a slight hissing noise from deep in her throat. 

“Penelope?” Raymond watched as Penelope fell back, her head making a loud  _ twack _ against the concrete floor. He blinked, unsure of what had just transpired. Raymond reached back to grab his master key, slipping it into the lock and opening the creaky cell door.

Penelope didn’t move an inch.

Raymond crouched by her body. He could hear her heart, so she was alive, yet she showed no signs of waking. Her eyes were still beneath their lids and her breathing had dropped to a slow rhythm.  _ What in the world had happened to her? _ He could see, now, the bite marks on her neck, one on either side. A part of Raymond grew angry, angry that Rupert and Alfred felt entitled enough to drag an outsider into the Hotel, without his permission, and feed upon her before dropping her into the dungeons.

Yet, something still didn’t sit right with him. He replayed the conversation he’d overheard earlier, sticking to the words ‘love’ that seemed to repeat themselves. Neither Rupert nor Alfred had any love for humans, not since they’d aged, and even then it was more a child-like fascination. Eventually it turned into a morbid curiosity that then morphed into an apathetic disdain. There was only one thing that Raymond could imagine they would need a human for, but surely it wasn’t this girl?

And, perhaps most worryingly of all, was that it had been nearly five centuries since Raymond had seen this girl and, somehow, she had only aged two decades.

Mind swirling with conflicting theories and speculations, Raymond hoisted Penelope into his arms and began the walk back up the stairs. It was no doubt in his mind that the boys would not be pleased with his ‘meddling’ in their affairs, but something larger than all of them was in play here. He couldn’t see it all, but the pieces he did were enough to worry him.

Raymond had always thought his sole obligation and responsibility in life was the well-being of the Hotel Libra Sincera. It seemed now he had two.


	3. That Which Had Come Before

“This place haunts me, Raymond. The walls, the furniture... I can see her in all of them.”

Raymond sat behind his desk, a glass of scotch held in his hand. He watched Harold lay back on the couch in his office, eyes trained on the ceiling.

“It’s like Rosapest doesn’t want me to rest. She wants to remind me of all I’ve lost.”

“I doubt Rosapest is the reason you-”

Harold suddenly sat straight up, his eyes alight. “Are you suggesting she doesn’t blame me? That she doesn’t want me to relive all my demons over and over and over again? Tatiana is the reason Rosapest even exists, she absolutely wants to see me gutted.”

Raymond averted his gaze. Harold was grieving; he didn’t want to hear anything about how his own grief stricken mind was looking for Tatiana anywhere it could find it, not that Rosapest was somehow plaguing him. “This Hotel is Tatiana’s pride and joy. You helped her create it. For Rosapest to hate you would be irrational. Not to mention Tatiana fell in love with you - if Rosapest loved her as much as you say she did, surely she could see what good Tatiana saw.”

“Tatiana’s love for me the only reason Rosapest even tolerated me to begin with.”

That was hardly true, but there was no point in arguing the point. Raymond sighed as the room fell into silence.

“Raymond,” Harold asked suddenly. “I must ask a favor of you.”

_I’m not killing Rosapest,_ Raymond thought. “Yes?”

“Would you watch over the boys for me?”

Raymond hesitated. It was certainly not what he expected Harold to ask of him. “Watch over them?”

“If I left, would you take care of them? Remind them of me fondly? Make sure they’re okay?”

“I don’t understand. Where are you going?”

Harold shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. Would you?”

“Of course,” Raymond replied. He watched Harold’s face, trying to discern what he was thinking. Leave? Where would he go?

“Thank you.” Harold leaned back into the couch, downing the rest of his drink, and letting out a long held breath. “Thank you.”

* * *

“You seem a little more tired than usual, Raymond.” Humphrey was leaned up against the counter, eating... whatever it was Jack had cooked up in the kitchen. It looked like bread but didn’t smell like it.

Raymond didn’t reply. He continued to scribble into the log book, checking each date over again to make sure they were entirely correct. His mind was somewhere else, certainly not here in the lobby, and it was difficult to focus on something so dull as record keeping.

“Raymond?”

“What, Humphrey?”

Humphrey held his hands up in mock surrender. “Alright, I’ll take a hint.”

“If you need something, just spit it out.”

“I was going to ask about the new girl, but-”

Raymond’s hand froze. “New girl?”

Humphrey narrowed his eyes. “Don’t play dumb. There are very few things you can hide from me.”

“Who told you?” Raymond was uncomfortable with the news of a human girl staying in his hotel getting around and Humphrey was one of the last people he trusted with the information. He was an impeccable wizard but he chittered like the birds.

“No one, I just happened to be in the right place at the right time.”

Raymond groaned. “I’d prefer it if you didn’t go around spreading this. The last thing I need is half the hotel at my desk.” _And have the vampires start a hunt._

Humphrey gave Raymond a trademark smile. “The secret’s safe with me. But,” he held up a finger, “I do have a single question. How’d she end up here? I thought Harold had magic around to prevent any-”

“I’m not quite sure how she got here, though that is of little concern right now.” Raymond looked up and nodded towards the stairs. “Don’t you have something to attend to now, Humphrey, instead of bothering me?”

“Of course.” Humphrey smiled again. “I’ll see you around.”

Raymond watched Humphrey leave before pinching the bridge of his nose. He’d have to be more careful. He closed the log book and slid it back into its drawer in the front desk and turned to make his way upstairs. Penelope hadn’t woken yet, but he wanted to be sure she wasn’t alone long in her room. It didn’t seem beyond her capabilities to try and escape. Or worse go running throughout the place shouting her disagreements.

When he reached the room, he rapped twice on the door, before opening the door and peering inside. “Ah,” Raymond said, seeing Penelope had, in fact, awoken and was fingering through the bookshelves. “You’re awake.”

“Raymond,” she replied. She didn’t seem apprehensive at all. “I take it I owe you for taking me out of that dungeon?”

Raymond could see the faint pink coloring on Penelope’s neck where her bite marks were attempting to heal. He quickly averted his eyes, chastising himself for looking, and nodded. “You know my name.”

“I overheard the other two men - vampires - talking to you. Alfred and...?”

“Rupert.”

Penelope hummed.

“How’s your head? You fell into some type of... catatonic state and hit your head pretty hard.”

“Throbbing.” Penelope ran her hands along the books. “Where is this place?”

“My Hotel. I figured it would be easier to keep an eye on you here in the rooms rather than in those cells.”

“Keep an eye on me?”

“You did spontaneously pass out.”

“I get visions.”

“Visions,” Raymond echoed. He squinted his eyes, though with the lax way she spoke about it, she didn’t seem to be lying.

Penelope hummed. “I’ve had them since I was a kid.”

Raymond remembered her speaking about waking nightmares when he’d first met her by the forest. “Did you see anything?”

Penelope’s face spun into a frown and she gently nodded. “This place, there’s something wrong with it.”

“Ah, yes,” Raymond scoffed. “Filled with demons and monsters alike.”

“No, I mean...” Penelope struggled with her words. “There’s an... energy here. A presence.”

Raymond refrained from scoffing again. Perhaps this sort of hocus pocus scared the common folk of the surrounding villages, but he was not one to indulge such idiocies. “As I told you, there are spirits that stay here.”

Penelope’s brow lowered. “Why ask if you’re just going to be an ass about it?”

“I am simply trying to help you make sense of what you saw.”

“Helping is hardly what you’re doing.”

Raymond pursed his lips. “In any case, fearing some anonymous presence is the least of your worries here. Humans are not a common patron here and there are those who would see you... removed. Actual, tangible beings that would cause a raucous I would rather not deal with.”

“So I’m stuck here.”

_She catches on fast._ “Yes. At least until I can find a way to escort you out.”

“Can’t you just... walk with me?”

“And have half the hotel see a human was here for Gods know how long? Absolutely not. It’s hard enough to keep your scent from signalling the other guests to your whereabouts.”

Penelope’s face turned up in a smirk. “My _scent?_ What do I smell like?”

“Lunch,” Raymond answered quickly. “Further, I have no doubt the brothers will find you quite quickly and that is another trifle I don’t care to deal with. So I just ask you keep this door closed, locked, and don’t answer it for anyone.”

“Even you?”

“I have the master key,” Raymond answered, reaching to lift the large, iron key on his belt. “Should I stop by, I can simply enter.”

Penelope considered this, and finally nodded. “Alright.”

“I’ll be stopping by periodically to give you amenities. Should you need anything special, simply ask. I realize you are here against your will, but I would rather you not be uncomfortable.” Raymond gave her a small smile. He wasn’t lying - if she was comfortable she was far less likely to cause problems. Hopefully, giving her whatever she required would keep her calm and placid long enough for him to devise a way to get her out.

“Thank you,” Penelope replied. Her lips turned up into a quite genuine smile. “I appreciate it.”

Raymond found her gentle expression stirred something deep within him. He nodded tersely and exited the room, drawing in a shaky breath. _How... odd._ Pulling at his collar, Raymond turned to head back down to the front desk. There was no reason for him to be feeling such a way. He was not some young boy, eager for the first pretty face to walk in front of him. If anything, this feeling in his gut was embarrassing.

Surely some mind-numbing paperwork would help clear his mind.

* * *

Raymond had hardly noticed the sun rising until the silence in the lobby drew his attention. Most of the hotel had turned in for the night, or morning as it were. Gathering his things, Raymond made a small stop by the kitchen to grab a tray of dinner for Penelope. He hadn’t asked what she liked, but he figured if she was hungry she would eat whatever he offered her.

He reached her door and knocked twice, before unlocking the door and striding inside.

Raymond nearly dropped his tray as he made Penelope’s form out beside the wardrobe, bare back in full view. He spun on a heel, turning back to face the door, both out of politeness and to hide the sudden flush of his cheeks. “My apologies.”

“I heard you knock, you’re fine.”

“I wouldn’t have entered had I known-”

“That’s why my back was turned,” Penelope chuckled. “I didn’t think backs were such a private thing.”

Raymond’s blush intensified, now more so from shame than anything. He steadied his breathing.

“I’m dressed now, you can turn around.”

Raymond slowly looked over his shoulder, before turning completely and offering forward the tray of food. He hoped his pinked cheeks were unnoticable.

“You’re blushing.”

It seemed not. Ignoring Penelope’s comment, Raymond lifted the lid and set the tray down on the small table nestled between the sofa chairs. “I got a little of everything, I wasn’t sure what you ate.”

Penelope leaned over the table and smiled. “No, this is perfect. I didn’t think a hotel for vampires would have actual food.”

“There are more than just vampires here,” Raymond replied. “Many of whom do enjoy a nice meal.”

The room lulled into a silence as Raymond watched Penelope devour her food. He thought to ask he something, but stopped short each time. With it being as late as it was, there was nothing pressing for him to complete at the moment and for some reason, he wanted to stay here.

“Are you just going to stand there?”

Raymond blinked. “Ah, sorry. I was just thinking.”

“Are you alright?”

That seemed an odd question to ask. “Yes. Why?”

“You just look confused.” Penelope wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

Raymond _was_ confused, confused about why the reflection of soft candle light in Penelope’s eyes made his mouth dry, or why her smile made his face turn hot. He could hardly keep eye contact with her without his mind drawing a blank. This was so unlike him. “I’ve got a lot to deal with currently.”

Penelope hummed. “You know, I had another vision.”

“You did.”

“Similar to before.” Penelope settled back into her chair. “Same presence. Same... man.”

“Man?” Raymond’s eyebrows lifted. She hadn’t mentioned a man before.

“Yeah. I couldn’t quite see him though. Just a shadow.”

“These visions seem awfully helpful.”

Penelope turned her gaze up and huffed. “I am not some backwoods mystic trying to be vague.”

“Of course.” Raymond paused. “You know, you never did explain how you ended up here.”

“I was dragged in by those two boys of yours.”

Raymond narrowed his eyes. “They dragged you all the way here from your village? You realize neither of them can leave the grounds.”

Penelope’s face fell and she averted her gaze. She was quiet a moment. “I guess I wandered a little too close to this place than intended.”

“How did you even find this place?”

“That same way I did before,” Penelope replied. She looked back at him then, as if Raymond should know exactly what she spoke of.

“Pure chance?”

Penelope shook her head, but made no move to explain further.

Raymond looked towards the window. The sun was sending bright morning rays through the curtained window. He would need to be getting to bed if he had any hope of getting work done. Especially in trying to get Penelope out of this hotel. The longer she stayed, the more likely it would be someone would find her out. “I should be going.”

“Right. Thank you for dinner.”

Raymond hummed and bent the gather the tray. He bid Penelope goodnight and slipped out into the hall. _A man_ , he mused as he wandered back down to the kitchen. _I wonder what that could-_

“Keeping our new guest all to yourself, hmm?”

Raymond stopped, eyes focusing on Rupert lean against the banister of the staircase. “I’m keeping her out of sight of our _actual_ guests.”

“The dungeon seems a far better alternative for that.”

“And have her screaming up a storm day in and day out? No.”

“There are ways to keep humans quiet.”

“Not in my hotel.” Raymond started down the stairs, hearing Rupert follow behind him.

“That’s a new sentiment of yours. Why the change of heart?”

Raymond shook his head. “There was no change of heart. I’m simply trying to avoid a bloodbath.”

“Oh come now, Raymond,” Rupert said. He moved so the two of them were now walking in stride with one another. “You’re only keeping her there so you can partake in her whenever you want. Your uptight attitude and sneer doesn’t change anything and only makes you look foolish.”

_Partake in her._ “We have blood supplies in storage, there isn’t any reason a human should be here.”

“You know you can smell her from across the hotel.”

“I highly doubt that.”

“I heard a few of the guests wondering if Jack was making something new in the kitchen the smell was so strong.” Rupert drew in a deep breath. “I can smell her even on _you.”_

Raymond slid into the kitchen, dropping the dirty trays into the sink. He turned back to Rupert. “What would you have me do? Kill her? Allow me to let _you_ kill her?”

“No, I would have you keep her in the dungeon where she belongs and keep your nose out of my brother and I’s dealings.”

“I told you before, I’ll tell you again - this hotel was put under my guidance and as such, either of your dealings are-”

“-your dealings, too,” Rupert finished. He leaned into his cane. “This isn’t the first time we’ve taken someone in. This is just the first time you’ve cared enough to get involved.”

“That’s not-”

“It’s quite true, Raymond, and you well know it.”

Raymond’s mouth pressed into a thin line. “Good night, Rupert.”

Rupert chuckled. “Sleep well. You look like you need it.”

Raymond moved quickly to his study and laid back on the couch. He didn’t wonder why Rupert was up so late or why what he’d said had stung so deep. Rupert loved to get under the skin and settle there and Raymond had long ago learned how to avoid letting him unsettle him, but it seemed this time was different.

Closing his eyes, Raymond knew he had to get Penelope out sooner rather than later. Otherwise, things were going to get a whole lot more complicated.


	4. Beyond a Shadow of a Doubt

Raymond awoke groggy and exhausted. Vampire or not, his body ached for more sleep, sleep he couldn’t give it. One of the downsides of being a made-vampire, it seemed. Rupert and Alfred could lay their heads down for an hour and be ready again for a full day. 

If only they did something productive with their energy.

Raymond dressed himself and headed down to the main lobby, making sure Louis was up and ready for his opening shift. With that settled, he wandered to the kitchen, giving Jack the menu for that day. Though Jack often took it more as a suggestions list than something to follow exactly.

It was an hour or two before Raymond made his way upstairs, a tray of various breakfast foods in his hands. He knocked twice on the door before making his way inside. “Penelope?”

Penelope was sat in one of the plush chairs, open book in her lap. She smiled as he entered. “I was wondering when you’d show up.”

“Of course.” Raymond nodded, setting down her food and he began to turn to leave when Penelope caught his hand. 

“Leaving already?”

“I have many things to attend to,” Raymond replied.

Penelope frowned. She still had yet to let go of his hand. “I’ve been thinking about what you asked yesterday.”

Raymond raised his eyebrows, turning slightly. “Oh?”

“When I said I got here the same way I did before...” Penelope paused. “Do you remember when you found me here? When I was a child?”

“Of course.”

“I would sleepwalk a lot as a kid. Unfortunately for me, I would usually end up in the woods. Sometimes just inside the treeline, sometimes so far inside it would take hours to walk home.”

Raymond remembered young Penelope talking about her nightmares and it worried him then just as much as it concerned him now. 

“When those two guys found me I had just woken up a few hours earlier. I tried to find my way back home, but everything was so... different. The woods weren’t the same as I remembered them. I thought back to the forest spirit who had lead me home when I was a child. I know it sounds stupid, but I was desperate. I set out looking for it - you - and stumbled across the Hotel.”

There was a worrying thought that suddenly started nagging at the back of Raymond’s mind. “How long were you asleep?”

Penelope shrugged. “I have no idea. A few days maybe?”

_ She has no idea how long it’s been. _ Raymond had not considered the idea that Penelope might be as confused as he was as to how she was still alive 500 years after their first meeting. “Your family must be missing you, then.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” Penelope chuckled. “I just hope they don’t come looking for me and stumble across this place.”

Raymond hummed. “Enjoy your meal.”

As the rest of the morning and afternoon dragged on, Raymond could not stop his mind from wondering what in the world had happened to Penelope to cause her to sleep for nearly five centuries. His mind nagged at him over and over to figure it all out, but he knew just about as much as anyone else.

There was, too, the issue of Penelope’s visions. He hadn’t given them much merit, but seeing as things were only growing stranger by the minute, he figured it was wise to reconsider their validity. He had certainly never felt a presence in this Hotel, at least not a malevolent one, but nor was he prone to visions.

By the time dinner had rolled around, Raymond was on edge. He was quick to clean things up for the end of the day and gather together another plate for Penelope. In all honesty, he was desperate to speak to Penelope again. There was too much up in the air, too many variables for Raymond to be able to relax. He  _ needed _ to know what was going on.

For both of their sakes.

Heading upstairs with the tray of food, Raymond rounded the corner, stopping dead when he saw that Penelope’s door was open. He quieted the surge of panic that put his heart in his throat. 

He wandered inside, calling out a hesitant ‘Penelope?’ before setting the tray on his desk. He had  _ told _ her to stay here. She had been fine before, what had changed?

Raymond quickly turned on a heel and wandered down the hall, opening the door to the basement and descending the stairs. He threw open the door to the dungeons and was surprised to see that it was completely empty. If Alfred or Rupert had taken her, this seemed the most likely place they would take her... unless they were trying to avoid Raymond entirely. 

Facing the stairs again, Raymond bound upstairs and headed through the lobby, following a path that was all too familiar to him.

* * *

“Harold!” Raymond raced through the lobby, his feet nearly catching on the rug that ran from the front desk to the door. 

Harold was facing the door to the rose garden, his hands closed into fists against the door. He had already scratched grooves into the wood. He pounded harder. “Don’t interfere Raymond!”

“Stop!” Raymond skidded to a stop. He was hesitant to put his hands on Harold. “You need to stop, this isn’t going to fix anything.”

“Oh, you’d know quite a bit about that, wouldn’t you?” Harold spun around. “I gave you one task, one thing to do, and you let her  _ die!”  _

Raymond startled backwards. “I didn’t-”

“No, you didn’t! And that’s why I’m standing here, wearing grooves into this godforsaken  _ door!” _

Raymond put his hands up. “Harold, breathe.... You need to breathe.”

Harold said nothing. He had turned back to the door, head now resting against it, nestled between his hands. “I can’t go on like this Raymond. I can’t. I  _ won’t.” _

There was a beat of silence between them as Raymond tried to collect his thoughts. This was no longer grief, this was something else entirely. Something Raymond was not prepared to deal with. “Then what will you do?”

Harold didn’t reply. He pushed himself off from the door and stormed off, disappearing out the front doors of the Hotel.

* * *

“Rupert!”

Rupert was standing just outside the Rose Garden’s door. He turned languidly, his hands rested evenly on Penelope’s shoulders. “I was wondering when you’d show up.”

Raymond felt his face flush with anger and he might have grabbed ahold of Rupert’s neck and strangled him if he hadn’t noticed the door to the garden was opened. He slowed his stride, his eyes bouncing between Penelope and the door. She was so still and quiet. “What did you do?”

“Fulfilled my father’s idiotic prophecy.” Rupert moved so he passed between Raymond and Penelope, his hands lingering on the latter’s shoulders. “I do hope you’ll be joining us.”

Raymond watched Rupert disappear into the garden before he moved in front of Penelope. Her face was relaxed, her eyes unfocused and staring out over his shoulder. Her pupils were wide and hazy and, nestled beneath her hair, a small trickle of blood running down her neck. Raymond’s heart crawled its way back into his throat. “Penelope?”

Penelope’s eyes drifted downwards. She caught Raymond’s gaze and the edges of her mouth pulled up into a smile. “Raymond.”

_ At least she’s still aware. _ Raymond know full well what vampiric hypnosis looked like, what being a belonging looked like. He placed a hand up to her cheek. “How are you feeling?”

Penelope seemed to consider this. She leaned her head into his hand. “Cold.”

Raymond frowned. He grabbed ahold of her hand and pulled her with him as he entered into the garden,

Unlike the heavy summer humidity in the rest of the hotel, the Rose Garden was pleasantly cool. It was dark, with just barely enough light to coming in from the doorway to see the path and the blacked out windows. There were distant voices coming from the gazebo.

Raymond followed them, seeing the figures of Alfred and Rupert come into view.

“Harold told me that getting this door open was my key to freedom!” Rupert voice was shouting. “He  _ told _ me that!”

“I’m sorry, Rupert-” A feminine voice started, one that surprised Raymond to hear.

Alfred’s voice broke in. “And what about you? And the Hotel?”

“Fuck this Hotel! I want what Harold promised me!”

“Harold must have misspoke, Rupert, I cannot grant you your wish.”

“Why? What more must I do for that old bastard?”

There was a pause. “Raymond?”

Both brothers turned towards the door, neither looking pleased to see Raymond still making his way up the path. 

“Rosapast, you’re alive,” Raymond replied. 

“I am nothing if not tenacious.”

Raymond drew closer to the gazebo, but didn’t want to move Penelope any closer to the brothers than he needed to. His hand tightened around hers. “What is all this shouting?”

Rupert slammed the end of his cane onto the floor. “Harold once again shows he can’t make anything easy for anyone.”

“We did what he wanted,” Alfred continued, “Rosapast should be healed.”

Raymond narrowed his eyes, a sudden realization striking him. “It wasn’t Harold’s prophecy.”

Rupert turned with venomous eyes. “What?”

“The door, the door was sealed by Tatiana, not Harold.” Raymond recalled finding Tatiana, just weeks before her death, carving the words carefully into the garden door. He had inquired about it, but she had simply said it was for the best that the garden be off-limits to guests. Figuring it was her creation, Raymond hadn’t questioned it. “She wrote the rules that would allow it to be opened again.”

“So then nothing had changed?” Rupert demanded. “Nothing at all?”

Alfred seemed equally distraught. “And what about Rosapast? Does that mean she’s still wilting?”

“There is something in this Hotel, plaguing it from the inside.” Rosapast’s voice was low. “I don’t know what it is, but it’s like a sickness. I can feel it even now.”

“Then we must rid the Hotel of that?” Rupert asked.

Raymond’s thoughts drifted back to Penelope’s visions, to her claims of a dark figure, a man. It seemed unlikely to be just coincidence that she should see such a thing and to have Rosapast talk of a presence. “Has it always been here?”

“No, it came a while after the door was sealed.”

“It could absolutely be Harold’s doing then,” Rupert said. “He trained me all my life to take over this Hotel and then he sabotages it before he leaves anyway.”

“How much longer do you have, Rosapast?” Alfred asked.

Raymond turned back to Penelope. Her eyes were beginning to clear, much to his relief, but she still seemed dazed and confused. “What do you remember about that man? In your visions?”

Penelope blinked. “A shadow. Tall, lurking. Angry.”

There was something gnawing at Raymond’s gut, like an important task he was forgetting. He pressed further. “Could you see his face? What his hair looked like? His clothes?”

“No, only a shape. He rippled like waves on a pond.”

“Did he speak?”

There was a flash of something behind Penelope’s eyes and she nodded. “Yeah, he-”

“He what?”

Penelope blinked again and suddenly startled. Her eyes completely cleared and her pupils shrunk. “What-”

Raymond hadn’t realized how close he’d gotten to her until she pulled back. He righted himself, pulling his hand back from hers, and waited.

“Where am I?”

“The Rose Garden,” Raymond answered. He reached a hand out slowly towards her shoulder. She didn’t recoil or pull back so he squeezed gently. “You were... hypnotized.”

“Excuse me?” Penelope moved so she could see around Raymond. Her eyes narrowed. “I swear to God, I-”

Raymond squeezed her shoulder again. “In a minute. First I need you to tell me what the man from your visions said to you.”

Penelope froze, and her eyes flashed again. She looked scared. “The man?”

“The one you spoke of earlier.”

“He... said he knew I’d always find my way back home. To him.”

That did not sit well with Raymond. He felt his heartbeat quicken. “Did he call your name? Tell you anything else?”

Penelope shook her head, drawing her arms up around herself and shivering. “No, I don’t... I don’t think so.”

Raymond stripped off his outer coat and laid it around Penelope’s shoulders. He turned back to Alfred and Rupert who were still quietly talking to Rosapest. He drew close, catching both boy’s attention. “I think I know what this plague is.”

“Oh?” Rupert replied, placing both hands atop his cane. “Please enlighten us.”

Raymond ignored Rupert’s attitude and sighed. He realized how crazy his theory would sound, but with Penelope’s visions, the timing of Rosapast’s plague, Tatiana’s prophecy and sealing of the garden door, Harold’s last conversations with him... it was all too convenient. “I think this presence is Harold.”


End file.
